Sunday, August 18, 2013

Evidence At Last

At
the stroke of midnight rang the phone. Reverberating in the minute chamber, the
tiny contraption vibrated with full force, tearing hysterically into the silence
of the night. A petite hand rose from under the woolen bedspread and picked up
the phone. Groggy-eyed, the owner of the arm rose from the confines of the bed and
looked at the display of the phone. Looking at the name, she stopped;
mid-action. Her glowing face showed off the expressions of shock, and she passed
her hand through her already ruffled grey hair. The shriek of the machine in
her hand continued to disturb her, but her mind was already in a different
place. Somewhere distant; somewhere far away in the past.

“Get
out right now Pam, will you? You have already spoiled enough by giving that
dumb statement in front of your ‘friend’ Sandra. Completely stupid! I should be
kicking you out of here for this mistake of yours. Damn, how will I handle it,”
the words emanated from the glass chamber.

The
glass door swung open and out she walked. The white of her shirt brighter than
the white of her eyes, her head was bowed down. Moist and glistening, her
cheeks shone as her head pulled up into the light. Her long black skirt complemented
her eyes and her hair as it swished with the movements of her long legs. Picking
up her brown crocodile skin bag from the desk, she paced out the room; and into
the gaping mouth of the metal tube in the wall.

The
Citroen raced down the dark road, honking periodically at each intersection. Its
twin Xenon eyes glowed intensely in the darkness of the night, and absorbed all
of the surroundings imperatively into its destructive memory. As the sleek
machine snaked past on the curves of the road, its roar hummed in the mind of
the rider- preoccupied, and veiled with the mixed emotions of sadness, anger
and self-aggression. The singular perch at the top of the hill whistled sweetly
to the black insect crawling up from its vantage point. It opened its arms to
the insect and welcomed the rider into its confines.

Pamela
jumped out of her crafty sedan, craving for a cup of wine with Sam, complete
with a warm hug and a welcome kiss. She thought herself lucky to have such a
loving husband of 5 years, someone she could trust with all her heart; someone
she could rely on forever. Even with his maniacal habit of enjoying dirt bike
racing, and his love for cycling on the traffic clogged roads of the city; she
loved him for what he was.

“Thank
you God for giving me this gift in life. Thank you so very much Lord,” she
thought.

With
this thought in mind, she pushed open the door. Surprise enveloped her when the
door swung open at just a petite touch- it had been open! It was pandemonium
inside. The whole house lay scattered in front of her eyes. Clothes and
showpieces and books and her precious papers- they all lay cluttered on the white
marble floor.

There on the corner of the fridge lay the note, written on a plain page, in
blue ink. In his neat handwriting was the word sorry, alone in presence. The world
stood still, her heartbeat stopped, and her happy world purged itself into the dark
abyss. She was devastated, and the silent tears rolled down her cheeks in
torrents, pulling with it the mascara and eyeliner lining her shapely eyes. There
was nothing she could do, as the moment engulfed her.

Twelve
years in the future, the moment still flew past her eyes clearly. As his name
kept flashing on the display of her phone, her eyes darkened with the shadows
of the past, and with great reluctance, she swiped the capacitive screen of her
smart phone to hear his voice.

“Hi
Pam. How are you?”

“Hey
Sam. Long time since I heard you voice. I’m great, what about you?”

“Jus’
moving on…I called up to tell you something…about that day..,” he said with
pronounced pauses.

“….”

“You
there Pamela,” he asked. She just hummed.

“It
was Rick. He forced me to do what I did. It wasn’t my fault. I just adored his
thoughts and his way of life. I wanted to enjoy the way he did- office in the
days, the clubs till midnight, and then the open roads. I know you loved me
with all your life, and even I did, but I was tired of living the same way, the
same old way. I always preferred life on the edge, but you changed me; you seeped
the adrenaline from my life. After all these years, and with a list of
afflictions on my body, I realize that you were right in what you used to say.”

“Good.
Is that all you have to say? I need to get back to sleep.”

“The
same old Pam, always sticking to a schedule. Never miss a single appointment do
you,” he said with a soft chuckle. “With the situation I’m in, I guess this
should be what is allowed to me. There is a lot more to tell you, to share with
you, to reminisce with you. But I guess I love you should sum things up. I always
did, but the hard life attracted me more than you. I missed it more than I missed
you in these last years. I know I was wrong, I still am; and I do not want you
to forgive me, I just want to give you my apology.”

His
breath hardened and fastened, and she could hear his gulps for air. She held
the receiver to her ear, till his breathing transformed into the beep of the
machine. Holding on and on, deep in thought. She was perplexed, and surprised-
at his decision, his indifference, and their misunderstandings. There was
nothing she could have done, nor she could. But, at least her heart was
content, with the answers, and her heart was satisfied.